Operation to continue till purging Karachi of extortionists: Rehman

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Rehman A Malik said on Tuesday that the operation against the extortionists would continue in Karachi till the complete elimination the criminal activity.

Talking to media persons outside the Parliament House, the Interior Minister said the police and the Rangers had started the joint operation in various areas of the metropolis and made arrests in this connection on the complaints of people.

He said a one-point strategy had been chalked out at a high level meeting in consultation with the Sindh Chief Minister, Home Minister and other stakeholders to arrest all the criminals involved in extortion and other street crimes.

Steps were being taken on the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari who has taken a serious notice of the complaints of extortion in Karachi, he added

Rehman Malik said the government's top priority was to redress the grievances of the public in general and traders in particular against the extortionists.

He said the biggest challenge for the government was target killings in Karachi which had been controlled to a great extent and now it would control the extortionists as well.

Malik said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) respected its coalition partners and would redress the concerns of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), particularly with respect to extortionists in Karachi.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012